1. Statement of the Technical Field
The invention concerns data recording systems. More particularly, the invention concerns data recording systems and methods for synchronizing data of a plurality of different data types (e.g., audio data, data link data, flight data, and image/video data) on a single packet.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many conventional data recorders that are known in the art. Some of these data recorders are Flight Data Recorders (“FDRs”) designed to meet a Technical Standard Order (“TSO”). The TSO refers the performance specifications and design requirements to a EUROCAE ED-112 document. In the EUROCAE ED-112 document, there is a requirement to physically segregate various types of data that are being recorded in a data store of an FDR.
The physical segregation is achieved by storing a particular type of data in a respective memory chip of a plurality of memory chips of the data store. The data types include, but are not limited to, voice data communicated over a cockpit channel, voice data communicated over pilot channels, flight data, data link data, and image/video data. The flight data includes, but is not limited to, engine speed data, wing flap position data, aileron position data and ruder position data. The data link data includes, but is not limited to, data defining information sent between an aircraft and an air traffic controller. Such information includes, but is not limited to, location information, speed information, altitude information, traffic instruction information, direction information, targeting information, control information and/or telemetry information.
The physically segregation of data provides a high degree of assurance that at least some of the data types would be recoverable in the event of a crash. For example, if a memory chip of the data store is damaged during a crash, then only one type of data would not be recoverable. In this scenario, the other types of data could be recovered and used to reconstruct the events leading up to the crash since the memory chips in which these other types of data were stored were not damaged during the crash.
In order to reconstruct the events leading up to a crash, the recoverable data needs to be synchronized to each other. This synchronization is typically performed by analyzing content of the recoverable data manually by an operator or automatically by a software program. Notably, the manual synchronization process is time consuming and costly. The automatic synchronization process is relatively complex and computationally intensive.